Abstract/Summary

The Oxford Road Stories Research project began in 2020, with funding from Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) fund. Managed by Reading Borough Council, the fund supports investment in buildings and shop fronts with community engagement and cultural events. The Oxford Road is historically and culturally significant in Reading - it is ethnically diverse with areas of social deprivation. Developed through Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods, issues in the community have been highlighted directly through the voices of the individuals who live, work or pass through this area. They tell stories about lived experiences through their authentic voices. Researchers from the University of Reading’s Human Geography department worked with the local residents and businesses to tell their Oxford Road Stories. One building, the Pavillion, home to Lifespring Church on Oxford Road participated in a further storytelling project, about the people who pass through. This book shares their stories. The diversity of one road in a town and the pathways into this geographical area of town through drug addiction, homelessness, refugees, shoppers, food lovers, historical characters, vibrancy, languages and different people of all ages. This is their legacy. Their stories are also available to listen to here https://research.reading.ac.uk/oxford-road-stories/